Oxford Street to go car-free for a day as pedestrianisation edges closer under Sadiq Khan

Oxford Street will go car-free for one day as Sadiq Khan's bid to pedestrianise the busy retail corridor moves closer to reality. On the event called This Is Oxford Street, vehicles will be prohibited from accessing a half-mile stretch from Oxford Circus to Orchard Street between noon and 8 p.m. for the designated hours.

The road space will be used to host activities and entertainment, including live music performances, art installations, food and drink stands, and a literary festival. Oxford Street is one of the world’s busiest shopping areas, attracting about half a million visitors each day. There is also the potential for further changes toward Tottenham Court Road.

Meanwhile, Khan has proposed banning vehicles from a 0.7-mile stretch between Oxford Circus and Marble Arch, an area that sees around half a million visitors daily and is estimated to contribute £25 billion annually to London’s economy.

The latest proposals form part of Khan's broader push to pedestrianise Oxford Street and unlock its potential to deliver a world-class, accessible, clean street for everyone as we build a better, greener and safer London for all. He said, This Is Oxford Street is going to be a landmark, free event open for everyone and will showcase the nation’s high street as you have never seen it before, offering a glimpse of what it could look like in the future.

Detailed proposals for traffic under the pedestrianisation plan will be consulted on later this year. A previous attempt to pedestrianise part of Oxford Street was blocked by Westminster City Council in 2018. The latest proposals depend on permission from the Government to establish a new Mayoral Development Corporation, which would provide planning powers, with the aim of creating the body by the start of next year.